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Ubuntu Wants to Be on Your Phones, Tablets and TVs

Ubuntu, the Linux distribution with a serious case of Mac-envy, has ambitions of moving beyond the PC to the tablet, smartphone and connected device space.

At the Ubuntu Developer Summit, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical — the company that funds Ubuntu development — said that the time is right to move the distribution to additional devices. On his blog, Shuttleworth says that by April 2014, Ubuntu "will power tablets, phones, TVs and smart screens from the car to the office kitchen, and it will connect those devices cleanly and seamlessly to the desktop, the server and the cloud."

This isn't the first time Shuttleworth has made big proclamations about the future of Ubuntu. In July 2008, he boldly proclaimed that the open source software OS could surpass Apple in UI in two years. Three-and-a-half years later, Ubuntu looks a lot more like OS X, but has hardly surpassed Apple in terms of interface and user experience.

Still, Shuttleworth argues that Ubuntu is well positioned to thrive in a world where computing takes place on a myriad of devices, from the car to the living room, thanks to its Unity user interface.

Competing Against Android

This isn't the first time that Ubuntu has vowed to take on alternative platforms. In fact, the Unity user interface was originally designed for netbooks and other smaller-screened devices. Throughout the past year, Ubuntu has gained support for touchscreens and ARM processors.

Here's the problem: An operating system based on the Linux kernel that can be augmented to phones, tablets, in-car systems and connected TVs already exists. It's called Android.

While Android is most frequently used to power smartphones and tablets, it has become the base OS for a multitude of embedded devices. Plus, as Amazon has shown with the Kindle Fire, it's entirely possible to use Android without using Google's user interface or additional platform components.

This leaves Ubuntu in a precarious position. The distribution already struggles to straddle the line between community involvement and strong, designated leadership from a parent company (in this case, Canonical). Convincing developers optimize applications for use on additional devices may prove difficult.

10 Devices Running Linux

1. TiVo

Underneath the digital video recorder TiVo's user-friendly and popular interface is a modified version of Linux. We have a hunch that those Linux underpinnings are responsible for TiVo's snappy response and smooth video playback.

2. Android

The Android operating system is showing up in multitudes of handheld devices. It was created by the Open Handset Alliance, headed up by Google. Lots of smartphone providers place their own brand of user interface enhancements on top of Android, and there's a lot of tricky programming called middleware in between, but underneath? Good old Linux.

3. AT&T MiFi

This pocket-sized device gives users a mobile access point that makes it so multiple people can use a single 3G connection. That gives any Wi-Fi device the ability to go online practically anywhere. What's in it for you? Imagine never having to pay a $12.95 Wi-Fi charge in a hotel again, thanks to Linux.

4. Large Hadron Collider

When it's time to answer big questions, physicists are turning to Linux to run the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. Just what questions are they trying to answer with this $9 billion scientific instrument? They're trying to understand some of the deepest and most fundamental laws of physics, such as the structure of space and time.

5. Refrigerator (Electrolux Infinity I-Kitchen)

Why would you need Linux in your refrigerator? How about running a touchscreen on the front, storing your contacts and calendars, recipes and reminders, and letting you keep your family organized with electronic Post-it notes? And, some refrigerators are smart enough to remind you that it's time to buy more milk.

6. Sony Bravia HDTV

We tested the latest Sony Bravia connected TV, which brings you your favorite video-on-demand service from Netflix or Amazon and a lot more. That's thanks (in part) to its Linux underpinnings. Of course, it can show you the latest 3-D video, and the one we tested was even smart enough to turn itself off if there was no one sitting in the room.

7. Chumby

This little supersmart alarm clock runs more than 1,000 apps, and it's all made possible by Linux under the hood. Don't let its diminutive size fool you -- this gadget can display video, call up your favorite Pandora Radio channels and remind you of appointments. Best of all, it's fun.

8. GPS (Tom Tom)

Bet you didn't know that GPS unit on your car's dashboard was running Linux. Humming away inside many Garmin, Tom Tom (and other) GPS navigators are versions of Linux. Now if the accuracy of the maps could measure up to that sharp Linux code running inside, we wouldn't have to recalculate so often.

9. Kindle

The electronics reader that made e-reading famous is the Amazon Kindle, and displaying its E-Ink screen with enough speed to make it a pleasure to use is -- you guess it -- starts with an "L."

10. Self-Driving Car

Self-driving cars, otherwise known as autonomous vehicles, are not perfect yet, but they're getting there. Many of them are running Linux, and researchers are using the operating system to find their way toward someday eliminating the need for traffic signals, driver's licenses, and maybe even rules of the road.

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